The selections this week, "Blankets," by Craig Thompson, and "Contract with God" by Will Eisner are both more serious works then we've looked at previously. Both use very graphic, harsh inkwork, which reflects the style of the story and writing. Blankets really stood out to me as original, with the more "indie" style characters and edgy story. I loved the patterns and detailed ink-work. The style almost reminded me of scratchboard, it made me wonder if it was done digitally or with pen and ink. Some of the panels were so full of emotion, you could really feel what the characters were feeling, and sense their anxiety. The composition and exaggerated features and proportions of the characters made it really visually interesting, and really refreshing from some of the previous comics we've looked at. The character's profiles, for instance, were sharp, clean, angular and specific, while the shading and textures were kept rough, which had a really great effect. When he saw his girlfriend sleeping, the illustrations felt so full of love and care, with romantic swirling lettering. When he first tells her he loves her, the use of type and lettering is so clever and lyrical. The use of white space, especially towards the end of part 2 and part 3 felt significant, especially in contrast to how hectic other parts of the comic were. It gave us room to breathe and think.
Contract with God was different from a lot of comics I've read, featuring full-page illustrations more so than traditional comic panels. The linework felt much cleaner than the previous comic, though was still kept loose and free.